Ten members of Lasallian Youth at Saint Raphael Academy spent their February school vacation organizing a Vacation Camp for elementary school-age children who live at the Pawtucket Housing Authority’s Family Complex. Camp was held in the Community Center and had a theme of “Careers.”
Two guest speakers who came to talk about their professions were Pawtucket firefighter Tim Joyce, Saint Raphael Academy Class of 1991, and Pawtucket police officer Jared Boudreault.
To celebrate Chinese New Year at the conclusion of the week, the Lasallian Youth students, led by International Program students Zhenghliang Lan, Zoe Bai, and Andy Li, prepared an authentic Chinese dinner for the children and their parents, as well as the St. Joseph Community. Zhenghliang planned the menu and directed the cooking, assisted by Zoe and Andy. The dinner was sponsored and hosted by Brother Michael Reis and the Lasallian Volunteers, including Saint Raphael’s own Dan O’Connell, who live in the St. Joseph Community.
The following students participated: David Coderre, Marisol Durango, Santiago Durango, Alyssa Fletcher, Brittany Giroux, Tommy Huynh, Zhenghliang Lan, Sydney Roberts, Sara Taborda, and Sierra Toro.
Cecilia Jackson, VISTA Coordinator, and Robert Williams, Family Service Coordinator at the Pawtucket Housing Authority and a member of the Saint Raphael Class of 1987, worked with Nancy Benoit, Lasallian Youth moderator, to coordinate the Saints volunteers and recruit the camp participants.